CH 191

With the bracelet that serves as proof of a true hero in his possession, the activities of the Hero Gou became even more spirited. It’s a mystery why this happened, even though he didn’t gain any new abilities, but Gou’s adventure was lively and progressing smoothly. As a party of heroes, we traveled around the world solving problems.

We searched various places and brought back a prince who seemed to be a little lacking. We retrieved a stolen crown from a very muscular thief, helped the revenge of sisters whose parents were killed by a beast, and even helped a man who was having trouble choosing between his three bride candidates. After experiencing all sorts of things for two years, we finally stood before the Demon King’s castle.

“We’ve finally come this far…”

Surrounded by sheer cliffs, the dark castle with its sharp exterior stood out prominently. Facing the narrow road leading to it, Gou uttered with deep emotion.

“It’s been about two years since we joined you, Gou-san. It’s taken quite a while.”

“No, I think we’ve made good progress. Honestly, I thought it would take us ten years.”

“Isn’t that a bit too patient?”

At Gou’s words, Tia laughed playfully. But he shook his head, looking quite serious.

“Not at all. To get this far, we needed a fixed party. If I hadn’t met the two of you, I would probably still be searching for companions. Also, because of you two, I was able to give up on finding the last member.”

“Ah, that’s…”

A hero’s party consists of four people. Considering the balance of our current party, we really needed the last person to be a healer. But in this world, there are no adventurers, and those who can use healing magic are people who work in safe places like churches and clinics in the town. There was no one suitable for the harsh journey to defeat the Demon King.

However, Tia and I could practically carry an infinite number of healing potions and such, so we were able to manage. If we hadn’t had this, we might have had to spend years searching for excellent talent, or even have had to train someone from scratch.

“When I think about it, Gonzo and Riel were incredible.”

“Riel was a hero herself, but old man Gonzo, he was quite amazing too. His healing magic was incredible, and he was quite strong in battle.”

“Hmm? Who are Gonzo and Riel? Do you know of any healers who can fight?”

“Yes, sort of. But both of them… are very far away…”

“I see, I’m sorry for asking.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

As Gou bowed his head slightly, I responded with a wry smile. They aren’t dead, but they exist in a different world where even the flow of time is different.

“Hey, shall we go? We’ve only just arrived here.”

“Heh, that’s right. Let’s break into the Demon King’s castle and defeat him once and for all! Let’s go, you two!”

“Okay!”

“Yes!”

In response to Gou’s call, we started walking down the path leading to the Demon King’s castle. But it wasn’t going to let us in easily.

“Cweeek!”

“Garuda! Two on the right, three on the left!”

“I’ll take the right! Gou and Tia, take the left!”

Huge bird-like monsters, each about two meters long, flew in from the valley, trying to knock us off the narrow cliff. But we weren’t going to be bested by these creatures. My ‘Dawnbreaker Sword’ cut off the foot of the Garuda that was attacking, and a Mithril short knife thrown quickly pierced the face of the other one that didn’t come near.

“Kweeeeh!?”

“Hah, easy victory! How about you!?”

“Of course, piece of cake! But…”

“Run now!”

As the defeated creatures fell down, more flying monsters, including Garudas, emerged from the bottom of the valley. There was no reason to politely deal with them in such precarious footing.

While repelling the approaching monsters, we ran straight towards the Demon King’s castle. As we did, the large door in front of us opened with a creaking sound, and the moment we jumped in, the door closed forcefully.

“Phew, it seems we managed to get inside. But…”

“We’re completely trapped.”

“Well, we didn’t plan on going back until we defeated the Demon King, so it’s not a problem. But…”

Without a moment to relax, I remained vigilant of our surroundings. At this point, there was no need to hold back on using my banishment skill. I conducted a thorough exploration using the combination of my skills, [Auto-Mapping] and [Akashic Compass].

However, I didn’t overly rely on them. I still remember the blunder I made in Amelia’s world.

“For now, based on what I saw, there are three paths. The one leading up the main staircase in front, and the doors on the left and right… Which way should we go?”

“Let’s go from the left. First, we’ll thoroughly search the ground floor, and then move to the second floor.”

“Well, that’s just like you, Gou-san. But exploring this place seems quite challenging, doesn’t it?”

This is the Demon King’s castle. It’s only natural to assume that it’s filled with enemies, and just because we can’t get out doesn’t mean the enemies can’t call for reinforcements. It would seem prudent to go straight to the Demon King and defeat him before any interference arises…

“It will indeed be difficult. However… I can see it.”

Gou’s sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. And on his arm, the bracelet he had never taken off since acquiring it shone.

“…Eh, you’re kidding, right!? Could it be…?”

“Yes, it’s true. There are pots and chests inside this castle too!”

“Huh… Really? Hey, Ed, why are there pots and chests inside the Demon King’s castle? It’s not like this place used to be a castle where people lived, right?”

That’s what I thought too… Well, it doesn’t matter what the reason is for now.

“Don’t worry about it. Regardless of the reason, our task remains the same.”

“Yes. Gou-san wouldn’t overlook pots and chests.”

“Gahahaha! That’s right! Ed, Lunaritia! Let’s break some pots and search the chests right away! Hehehe, I wonder what’s inside the chests of the Demon King’s castle?”

“I… I’m a little interested.”

With Gou appearing more enthusiastic than when he declared to defeat the Demon King, a slight smile appeared on Tia’s face. Indeed, there’s no point in getting too serious. No matter how dire the crisis, those who can enjoy it are the strong ones.

“Well then, let’s go on a tour of breaking pots and searching chests in the Demon King’s castle. I’ll guide you through the internal structure, Gou-san, you lead the way, and Tia, please be vigilant of the surroundings. You can use magic if necessary, but don’t overexert yourself since we don’t know if there are resting places.”

“Understood. I won’t make any mistakes in pacing at this point.”

“Leave it to me! Now, I haven’t seen these pots yet! I’ll break them!” 

“Gou-san… Our main objective is to defeat the Demon King, remember?”

“I know! Ohhh, the new chests are calling out to me!”

“Do you really understand?”

“I do, probably…”

While observing Gou, who energetically dispersed the approaching monsters, we wore wry smiles and followed after him.